Does anyone know of anything that I can do to help my loved one get parole? Can I send a letter from his employer or religious personnel and to whom do I send it? Any tips and suggestions will be appreciated!!

Hi C's,
I'll try to help you. First, this is free advice so please understand I am not an attorney. Some people do hire attorney's to represent the inmate at parole hearings. That will run you around $2,000.00. We did hire an attorney the first time my son went up for parole. The attorney did a wonderful job, my son was ready but sadly if you have a victim who opposes parole you can pretty much forget it. What I am going to write is based on what we did per the attorney's advice. I would advise you to have an attorney if you can but it is not a necessity. I get tongue tied when I am nervous and the attorney really did a fantastic job. I can't blame him at all that my son didn't get parole. Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes victims aren't ready to forgive.

I don't know when your loved one goes up for parole therefore I don't know how much time you have to work this plan. The parole board beyond looking at the record of the inmate is looking for a job offer if released, where will the inmate live, is there family/community support. We took pictures of the family and of our house. We had 2 job offers (these take the most work to get) lined up. We wrote out a paper asking the parole board to grant parole and had as many people sign it as we could. We got 5 letters from people written to the parole board stating (truthfully) that they had known Josh a long time and that what he did was out of character for him. I asked different kinds of people - aunt, 2 neighbors, friend, his long time friend. I wanted to show that his support was coming from male/female, old/young - that it wasn't just family.

When you get all you can together you mail this packet to the parole board with a note giving the inmates name and scdc #.. I think you have to have everything to the parole board 2 weeks before the hearing.

If this is your first parole hearing it is a little scary. First, you have to be at the institution very early in the morning and then stand in line with everyone else who is there for the parole hearing for a long time. There are no bathroom breaks so take care of that before you get to the institution. They let everyone in at one time. Be late - and you won't get in. You are ushered into most likely the visiting room. The inmates are there. I don't know about all places but any I've seen the inmates and family can not sit together. You wait for your loved ones name to be called and you go into a little conference room. Most likely the parole board will be on video. They will ask your loved one a few questions and then they'll ask if anyone else wishes to say anything. They will cut you off. The entire process once you get in the conference room is generally over within 5 minutes. You then go back to the visiting room and in a few minutes someone will come and tell you yes or no.

Even if granted parole, your loved one WILL not go home with you that day. It takes a few weeks to process someone out. I have seen it take a month.

Do not write to anyone at SCDC. They have nothing to do with who does or does not get parole. Used to be that sometimes the person the inmate works for would write a letter of recommendation but from what I understand that rarely if ever happens these days. If your loved one had a pastor on the outside then by all means ask them if they could write a letter on the behalf of your loved one. Don't be upset if they won't. Some people are very nervous about speaking to law enforcement and Dept. of Parole is law enforcement. Don't be discouraged if someone won't write the letter. Just move on to someone else. It is better to have fewer letters and them be sincere than to have a lot of letters from people who do a half-baked job of it.

You can write SCDPPP anytime you want and request that your letter be put in your loved ones file. I have known people who write every month or couple of months letting the parole folks know how much the inmate is missed and reminding them of the classes, job or whatnot the inmate is doing or has completed. I am not home right now so I don't have the address with me. I'm sure there is a section here on parole and surely the address would be listed there.

You can request a copy of the parole board hearing from SCDPPP. I think it cost $10.00. This is good to have because you will hear what is said when you are out of the room and they are discussing whether to grant parole or not. This will help you know what to work on if parole is denied. Good luck.

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That was a pretty good summary of the parole process. I've been through it personally and I could add a few things. I've known people who prepared parole files for the board, had employment letters, satisfactory housing, attorney's, pastor's and family show up for the hearing and they were turned down. When I went , I was alone, I didn't send any letters. I did, however prepare for the questions the board asks. What will you do if released is probably the most important question. Have your answer ready. Don't read it, have it in your head and ready to go. I made parole.
I believe the board has a scoring system. By the time of your hearing they have pretty much made their decision. Just don't blow the interview. If you are nonviolent, had a clean record in prison and less than a year left on your sentence your chances are pretty good. It can't hurt to send a parole file but it is not a guaranty and in my case unnecessary.

Hi C's,
I'll try to help you. First, this is free advice so please understand I am not an attorney. Some people do hire attorney's to represent the inmate at parole hearings. That will run you around $2,000.00. We did hire an attorney the first time my son went up for parole. The attorney did a wonderful job, my son was ready but sadly if you have a victim who opposes parole you can pretty much forget it. What I am going to write is based on what we did per the attorney's advice. I would advise you to have an attorney if you can but it is not a necessity. I get tongue tied when I am nervous and the attorney really did a fantastic job. I can't blame him at all that my son didn't get parole. Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes victims aren't ready to forgive.

I don't know when your loved one goes up for parole therefore I don't know how much time you have to work this plan. The parole board beyond looking at the record of the inmate is looking for a job offer if released, where will the inmate live, is there family/community support. We took pictures of the family and of our house. We had 2 job offers (these take the most work to get) lined up. We wrote out a paper asking the parole board to grant parole and had as many people sign it as we could. We got 5 letters from people written to the parole board stating (truthfully) that they had known Josh a long time and that what he did was out of character for him. I asked different kinds of people - aunt, 2 neighbors, friend, his long time friend. I wanted to show that his support was coming from male/female, old/young - that it wasn't just family.

When you get all you can together you mail this packet to the parole board with a note giving the inmates name and scdc #.. I think you have to have everything to the parole board 2 weeks before the hearing.

If this is your first parole hearing it is a little scary. First, you have to be at the institution very early in the morning and then stand in line with everyone else who is there for the parole hearing for a long time. There are no bathroom breaks so take care of that before you get to the institution. They let everyone in at one time. Be late - and you won't get in. You are ushered into most likely the visiting room. The inmates are there. I don't know about all places but any I've seen the inmates and family can not sit together. You wait for your loved ones name to be called and you go into a little conference room. Most likely the parole board will be on video. They will ask your loved one a few questions and then they'll ask if anyone else wishes to say anything. They will cut you off. The entire process once you get in the conference room is generally over within 5 minutes. You then go back to the visiting room and in a few minutes someone will come and tell you yes or no.

Even if granted parole, your loved one WILL not go home with you that day. It takes a few weeks to process someone out. I have seen it take a month.

Do not write to anyone at SCDC. They have nothing to do with who does or does not get parole. Used to be that sometimes the person the inmate works for would write a letter of recommendation but from what I understand that rarely if ever happens these days. If your loved one had a pastor on the outside then by all means ask them if they could write a letter on the behalf of your loved one. Don't be upset if they won't. Some people are very nervous about speaking to law enforcement and Dept. of Parole is law enforcement. Don't be discouraged if someone won't write the letter. Just move on to someone else. It is better to have fewer letters and them be sincere than to have a lot of letters from people who do a half-baked job of it.

You can write SCDPPP anytime you want and request that your letter be put in your loved ones file. I have known people who write every month or couple of months letting the parole folks know how much the inmate is missed and reminding them of the classes, job or whatnot the inmate is doing or has completed. I am not home right now so I don't have the address with me. I'm sure there is a section here on parole and surely the address would be listed there.

You can request a copy of the parole board hearing from SCDPPP. I think it cost $10.00. This is good to have because you will hear what is said when you are out of the room and they are discussing whether to grant parole or not. This will help you know what to work on if parole is denied. Good luck.

Wow! thanks for all the great info. I have been thinking about sending the letters from his employer, long time friends, the school he was about to enroll in but I didn't think about sending it all together. I have contacted the dppps and they have not given me his date, only that the date on the scdoc website is wrong. I plan to call them on Monday to check on the date since I do know that it will be the endo of May or beginning of June. Thanks again!!!

That was a pretty good summary of the parole process. I've been through it personally and I could add a few things. I've known people who prepared parole files for the board, had employment letters, satisfactory housing, attorney's, pastor's and family show up for the hearing and they were turned down. When I went , I was alone, I didn't send any letters. I did, however prepare for the questions the board asks. What will you do if released is probably the most important question. Have your answer ready. Don't read it, have it in your head and ready to go. I made parole.
I believe the board has a scoring system. By the time of your hearing they have pretty much made their decision. Just don't blow the interview. If you are nonviolent, had a clean record in prison and less than a year left on your sentence your chances are pretty good. It can't hurt to send a parole file but it is not a guaranty and in my case unnecessary.

Thanks BigCatt!! I can see how having a direct well thought out answer to those questions could make a big difference. I will definately pass along your suggestion to my loved one!

My husband goes up for parole in May. My concern is this....His charges are non-violent. But one of the charges is Cdv 1/2/3/non-mand.( Whateva that means) Anyway I'm the victim. The thing is he got locked for and argument we had. He called the police on me and he ended up going to jail. Ok...Ima get to the point. They sent me a letter to notify me of his parole hearing. With me being his victim,will it hurt or help him if I attend? I'm for him being paroled and would like to attend to support my hubby. But I don't want to do anything to ruin his chances. Any advice would surely be appreciated.

Last edited by jacmac12; 04-25-2010 at 09:35 PM..
Reason: misspellings

My husband goes up for parole in May. My concern is this....His charges are non-violent. But one of the charges is Cdv 1/2/3/non-mand.( Whateva that means) Anyway I'm the victim. The thing is he got locked for and argument we had. He called the police on me and he ended up going to jail. Ok...Ima get to the point. They sent me a letter to notify me of his parole hearing. With me being his victim,will it hurt or help him if I attend? I'm for him being paroled and would like to attend to support my hubby. But I don't want to do anything to ruin his chances. Any advice would surely be appreciated.

In this case I believe it would help if you were there. The parole board pretty much has made its' decision before the hearing but your presence might help. It certainly couldn't hurt. Maybe a letter from you to the parole board ahead of time might also help. He will need a place to stay and a job before they release him

Thanks BigCat22 for the sound advice. I did contact SCPPP and basically gave me the same advice. She also made a note to the parole board to let them know that I was for his parole. She said that I could be there to support him, but for me not to let them know at the facility that I am the victim. Again Thanks

Hi my bf is now in allendale. he has not been there long and as of right now his parole date is not until jan of next year. Is there a certain time that you can start writing the scdppp and having them put your letter in the file? first of all i have already sent my bf a copy of his sent sheet b/c we do not think they have taken his county time off his sent. as you probably alreasy know i have a 3 yr old daughter that misses her daddy ( which she tells me a lot everyday and everyday she asks at least 15 times a day when he comes home hes the only daddy she knows weve been together for 2 1/2 yrs) he also has 3 nephews that he is the only father figure too so just wanting him to be home as soon as possible . thanks, nikki

Just wondering if it was normal for scdppp to call you ahead of time and question you on your inmates family, living habits, work experience, ect? my husband is due up for parole in july and has said he wasnt going to go because he wanted to do his time and be done with being on papers and also said he signed a paper giving up his option for parole when he started his new job at the prison...well today i got a phone call from scdppp asking all about him and who was who in his family and even asked about what i do for a living and who keep my kids while working and so on. this call seemed odd to me because in 2008 he was released from prison and i didnt recieve such a call. i was dead set on being prepared to wait the next 18 months till he got out but now after the phone call it kinda has my hopes up that he could possibly be home in 2 months. does scdppp call the spouse of every inmate up for parole? even 2 months in advance? thanks, niki

Niki that does sound hopeful, cause I just recieved notification that my husband goes up next month. So far no one has called or anything. Just in case I have a job lined up for him and we own our home so he's got a place to live. Well, I guess I won't get my hopes up. His only in for property enhancement 3rd of sub.. His record is pretty jacked up 2. Hope things work out for you.

my husband has a long record and i just found out that they do call everyones family going up for parole, guess they go down the list and it must be long, i havent recieved a letter or anything yet though. i am thinking he most likely wont get it and im not going to get my hopes up as well and in the end itll be worth it just to max out the 18months he has left and be done with all this crap for the first time in 15 years. thanks!

well my bf was suppose to go up for parole in jan but now its dec thank god. well a lot of the inmates keep telling him to stay in and finish his time since he doesnt have much-- he said he.. know i got to be with my family. well let me tell you i agree with him-- i told him if he dont start working when he gets out i will pay it b/c i want my man home and my daughter is driving me nuts wanting her daddy.

Hi C's,
I'll try to help you. First, this is free advice so please understand I am not an attorney. Some people do hire attorney's to represent the inmate at parole hearings. That will run you around $2,000.00. We did hire an attorney the first time my son went up for parole. The attorney did a wonderful job, my son was ready but sadly if you have a victim who opposes parole you can pretty much forget it. What I am going to write is based on what we did per the attorney's advice. I would advise you to have an attorney if you can but it is not a necessity. I get tongue tied when I am nervous and the attorney really did a fantastic job. I can't blame him at all that my son didn't get parole. Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes victims aren't ready to forgive.

I don't know when your loved one goes up for parole therefore I don't know how much time you have to work this plan. The parole board beyond looking at the record of the inmate is looking for a job offer if released, where will the inmate live, is there family/community support. We took pictures of the family and of our house. We had 2 job offers (these take the most work to get) lined up. We wrote out a paper asking the parole board to grant parole and had as many people sign it as we could. We got 5 letters from people written to the parole board stating (truthfully) that they had known Josh a long time and that what he did was out of character for him. I asked different kinds of people - aunt, 2 neighbors, friend, his long time friend. I wanted to show that his support was coming from male/female, old/young - that it wasn't just family.

When you get all you can together you mail this packet to the parole board with a note giving the inmates name and scdc #.. I think you have to have everything to the parole board 2 weeks before the hearing.

If this is your first parole hearing it is a little scary. First, you have to be at the institution very early in the morning and then stand in line with everyone else who is there for the parole hearing for a long time. There are no bathroom breaks so take care of that before you get to the institution. They let everyone in at one time. Be late - and you won't get in. You are ushered into most likely the visiting room. The inmates are there. I don't know about all places but any I've seen the inmates and family can not sit together. You wait for your loved ones name to be called and you go into a little conference room. Most likely the parole board will be on video. They will ask your loved one a few questions and then they'll ask if anyone else wishes to say anything. They will cut you off. The entire process once you get in the conference room is generally over within 5 minutes. You then go back to the visiting room and in a few minutes someone will come and tell you yes or no.

Even if granted parole, your loved one WILL not go home with you that day. It takes a few weeks to process someone out. I have seen it take a month.

Do not write to anyone at SCDC. They have nothing to do with who does or does not get parole. Used to be that sometimes the person the inmate works for would write a letter of recommendation but from what I understand that rarely if ever happens these days. If your loved one had a pastor on the outside then by all means ask them if they could write a letter on the behalf of your loved one. Don't be upset if they won't. Some people are very nervous about speaking to law enforcement and Dept. of Parole is law enforcement. Don't be discouraged if someone won't write the letter. Just move on to someone else. It is better to have fewer letters and them be sincere than to have a lot of letters from people who do a half-baked job of it.

You can write SCDPPP anytime you want and request that your letter be put in your loved ones file. I have known people who write every month or couple of months letting the parole folks know how much the inmate is missed and reminding them of the classes, job or whatnot the inmate is doing or has completed. I am not home right now so I don't have the address with me. I'm sure there is a section here on parole and surely the address would be listed there.

You can request a copy of the parole board hearing from SCDPPP. I think it cost $10.00. This is good to have because you will hear what is said when you are out of the room and they are discussing whether to grant parole or not. This will help you know what to work on if parole is denied. Good luck.

I was just curious...do you mind telling me who you used as an attorney? I am looking for one and don't know where to start and do not have the funds for anything over 2,000 that will actually work the case.

I was just curious...do you mind telling me who you used as an attorney? I am looking for one and don't know where to start and do not have the funds for anything over 2,000 that will actually work the case.

Neither member have been active here since 2011.

__________________"Waiting is negative; hoping is positive. so try to wait with hope. This will help you remember that you're on your way to something worth waiting for."